Name: Ruth’s Lima Beans With Smoked Turkey Tail
Yield: 8–10 servings
Ingredients: 2 Tbsp. vegetable oil; 1 smoked turkey tail (about 7 oz.); 1 large onion, finely chopped; ½ medium red bell pepper, ribs and seeds removed, finely chopped; 3 garlic cloves, thinly sliced; ½ cup Louisiana hot sauce; ¼ cup chopped peperoncini, plus ¼ cup brine; 2 Tbsp. chopped thyme; 1 lb. dried large white lima beans, rinsed, soaked overnight, drained; 2 quarts low-sodium chicken broth

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Photographs by Mamadi Doumbouya, food styling by Pearl Jones, prop styling by Shannon Maldonado

“This dish is like a warm embrace from my mom, Ruth,” says Ben Bynum, co-owner of Philadelphia restaurants Warmdaddy’s, Relish, South Jazz Kitchen, and Green Soul. Before she passed, Ruth joined her son in converting to Islam, and so replaced the ham hock in her famous one-pot bean dish with halal-friendly but almost-just-as-fatty smoked turkey tails, which are widely available, relatively inexpensive, and seriously delicious.

Recipe notes

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